


Metamorphosis

by erythea



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Humor, actually just an excuse for seiyuu jokes, but i promise there's plot, narmaya and sandalphon look into missing persons in not!greece, while running a cafe and babysitting on the side
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:53:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23912611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erythea/pseuds/erythea
Summary: ABANDONED. Won't update this.Then again, she had never spoken to an angel before. She heard they were another sort of primal, created by the Astrals and destined to oversee their own parts of the universe. But compared to the worldly Rosetta or gentle Yggdrasil, Sandalphon felt a little different. Maybe it was her tendency to place people on a pedestal at work again, but whatever the case, Narmaya thought, it would be best to get to know him first.That was what she had always meant to do.
Relationships: Narmaya/Sandalphon (Granblue Fantasy)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> no one is giving me narmaya/sandalphon content so i have to feed myself. ongoing!
> 
> My first Granblue fic, so I'm not too confident about characterization. Comments appreciated!

The children ran. Leaves and twigs crunched under their soles as they cut across the tropical forest, praying the shadows of its canopies would hide them a while longer.

The specter wasn’t far. Its strong gusts of wind shook the sturdiest of branches. Its shadow ate the dappled sunlight. It was a spirit that only knew destruction, and sought for it.

A coastal town nestled near the forest’s edge. The children knew this, because they heard the crashing of white waves against the isle’s shores and their hearts filled with hope. The taste of the sea on their tongues registered as victory.

But the specter was fast.

The strength of a child was no match. Their legs, speckled with mud and jungle dew, gave way to fatigue. Rocks and roots and sticks bruised their arms and knees. There on the forest floor, the specter loomed over them, opening their mouths to draw out the winged souls cocooned within—


	2. Birds of a Feather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a mistake... All instances of 'singularity' have been corrected to 'captain/Gran' since this story takes place after the Maydays event, and I've added a little more to the ending of this chapter.

The butterflies, bright sun, and cool breeze along the coast of Hesperides did nothing to calm Narmaya, who had been leaving frantic rows of footprints on the sandy pavement since her arrival. The job was, by her standards, rather simple. After her last holiday stint at the patisserie, she considered being a waitress at a seaside cafe no problem at all. In fact, anyone on the Grandcypher could tell you she was looking forward to this day. It was a favor to Gran first and foremost, so she had to do her best _and_ look the part, too.

But no frilly apron or seashelled skirt could quell her anxious heart. She paced back and forth the wide sunny road, hiding behind the occasional street lamp as she peered at the little two-story cafe. Her usual targets of affection, to their surprise, were the least of her concern.

“Hey, what’s with Butterfly Girl today?” asked Vyrn, who hovered next to Gran as he watched Narmaya from afar. “It’s been five minutes since we got here, and this is getting kinda ridiculous...”

“She was so excited to work here, too,” said Lyria, who knit her brows partly in worry, but mostly because the sunlight bounced off the pale brick a little too much. “I wonder what’s wrong.”

Gran, who was the sort of somebody who knew everybody down to their favorite color, crossed his arms as he observed the Draph flutter around the premises. It was strange. Narmaya was usually overeager to help him with most anything. He also knew that swordswomen didn’t often find themselves waiting tables to begin with, and Narmaya was the type to worry about problems of her own imagination.

The captain, who couldn’t bear to waste another second watching a troubled soul, decided to take action.

“We won’t know until we ask,” said Gran. He waved at his friend as he called out to her, “Hey, Narmaya!”

That seemed to do the trick. At the sound of her captain’s voice, Narmaya whirled around to greet the trio with a smile.

“Gran! And Lyria and Vyrn — you’re all here.”

“Hi, Narmaya!” Lyria waved at her. “We came to cheer you on. It’s your first day on the job, after all!”

“Lucky for you, our cheer squad is the best there is!” Vyrn declared with a proud grin that — and this was his personal opinion — made him look more dragon than lizard. Narmaya just thought it looked cute.

“You really didn’t have to take the job while on vacation...” said Gran. Narmaya tended to overexert herself, and his concern was clear in the way he scratched his cheek and his apologetic smile. “Anything we can do to lighten the load?”

“No, I’m fine!” Narmaya gave them a reassuring wave of her hand. Ever so considerate, these three. “Let your big sister handle this one. Hesperides isn’t too different from Auguste. Why don’t you take a dip in the water? You have a long journey ahead of you, and you all need to rest up for your big day tomorrow.”

She tiptoed as she gave each of them a light tap on their noses. “Besides, I’ve done this sort of thing with Ferry before. Working at a bakery was so much fun! I’m sure the cafe will be the same.”

“I remember that!” exclaimed Lyria, whose gastronomic recall should never be doubted except in dire Katalina-related incidents. “The cakes you made us last year were super delicious!”

"But you’ve been outside the cafe for a while now,” Gran pointed out. “We were wondering if something was up.”

“If it’s not first day jitters, then what is it?” asked Vyrn, tilting his head.

Embarrassed, Narmaya bit her lip, looked away, and gripped the hilt of her katana. It was unlike an older sister to show children her weaknesses. Not that Gran was a child, or that she would know a thing about being a sister. She never really had a younger sibling before. If nothing else, she was still older, which held her more responsible, and as a matter of principle, those held responsible ought to care for those who aren't.

“It’s nothing, really,” said Narmaya. “I don’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble at all!” Lyria insisted, balling her fists close to her chest. “We just want to help you the way you always help us, Narmaya. We care about you, so if there’s anything bothering you, you can tell us!”

“Don’t worry about it if it’s embarrassing,” Gran assured her. “We won’t tell a soul.”

“We promise! Cross our hearts!” Vyrn traced a cross on his tiny leathery chest.

The laughter that bubbled out of Narmaya told them she was convinced.

“Thank you, everyone.” said Narmaya as she relented. She considered herself very lucky to have dear friends like the captain and his crew. They never gave up on her, no matter how silly her worries were. Today, however, she felt as though said worries were a tad sillier than usual.

“Gran, you said that I would be working with Sandalphon for this mission, right?”

“Right.” Gran nodded. “Siero said she needed someone to run the cafe while the authorities were looking for the owner. It sounded like they were business partners from a while back. This mission is related to that, so she’s letting us use the building as our headquarters until he’s found — as long as the cafe profits.”

“Yes. There have been many disappearances in the area lately, and it’s hard to run a cafe alone.” Narmaya hesitated. “I know I said I’d do it, but the truth is…”

Before Narmaya could explain herself, a new arrival caught everyone by surprise.

“Narmaya, Gran.”

Each name was punctuated by the clack of his heels.

“Lyria and Vyrn, too. You’re all up early.”

Everyone turned around to exclaim in unison: “Sandalphon!”

Like Narmaya, the angel was already dressed for the job. He wore a blue apron over his casual clothing — a style Gran and Vyrn had to wrangle him into last summer. Though Sandalphon’s serious demeanor often made it difficult for others to know him at first, the crew was well aware of Sandalphon’s interest in running a cafe of his own. It was safe to say his excitement for this mission was second to none.

Which was why his timing was quite odd.

“We’re not early,” Vyrn said coolly. “You’re just late, Sleepyphon!”

“What did you say, flip-flopper?” said Sandalphon. “You should be glad I haven’t had my morning coffee yet, else I’d be more than happy to refute your accusations.”

“I’m no flip-flopper, you smelly sack of sandals!”

“You started it, you foul-odored pair of flip-flops!”

“Ahahaha, cut it out, you two...”

As always, Lyria was the one to raise her hands and pacify them.

“Don’t worry, Lyria,” Sandalphon reassured her with a confident smile. “This just means we’re in a good mood. Everyone is in high spirits this morning, myself included. I didn’t think I’d get this sort of work again.”

Upon saying so, he narrowed his eyes at the group. “Wait. Why is everyone loitering around the cafe? Narmaya and I have a mission to do. If you want any freebies, they’ll have to wait until after our shift.”

While Gran and Vyrn playfully booed Sandalphon, Lyria beamed from under her broad-brimmed hat. “We’re here to sing you and Narmaya our fight song before you start working!”

Sandalphon fought the color in his cheeks as he massaged the bridge of his nose. “I appreciate the enthusiasm, but you really don't have to...”

“But we won’t be seeing each other in a while,” said Lyria as she pouted and tugged at her sunhat.

“It's not like we'll be gone forever,” said Sandalphon. Time wasn’t a real issue for immortals, generally. “Though I suppose it will be the longest time we’ll be spending off the ship...”

“That’s why we gotta sing the song,” Gran explained. “We want to give you both a good preview of our concert before we leave, so you can look forward to the real thing later!”

“Huh? Gran, are we really having a concert?” Lyria asked. Gran answered her with a wink.

Sandalphon snorted. “Have it your way, then, Gran.” He had long accepted that he could never truly win an argument against these three, anyway.

Although Narmaya tried to ask Gran about this mysterious song, no one bothered to explain. Instead, on Lyria’s cue, Gran and Vyrn began: “Woah-woah-woah-woah! Yeah-yeah-yeah! Woah-woah-woah-woah! Yeah-yeah-yeah!”

“Sing with us, Grumplephon!” said Vyrn.

“Sandalphon knows it?" Narmaya threw a glance at the angel, who hid his face from her as soon as their eyes met.

“Urk… That was one time! I won’t do it. Singing on the Grandcypher is one thing, but this is a public area!”

Sandalphon’s face twisted into an expression that told them he did not want to be here, but Narmaya simply watched on as Lyria tugged on his arm and puffed up her cheeks.

“But your singing voice is so nice!” Lyria pleaded. “Please, Sandalphon!”

“Yeah, Sandalphon!” said Gran, trying not to laugh and failing miserably. “Don’t be embarrassed in front of Narmaya!”

Narmaya didn’t know angels could feel embarrassment. Then again, she had never spoken to an angel before. She heard they were another sort of primal, created by the Astrals and destined to oversee their own parts of the universe. But compared to the worldly Rosetta or gentle Yggdrasil, Sandalphon felt a little different. Maybe it was her tendency to place people on a pedestal at work again, but whatever the case, Narmaya thought, it would be best to get to know him first.

That was what she had always meant to do.

So she sang.

“Woah-woah-woah-woah, yeah-yeah-yeah… Woah-woah-woah-woah, yeah-yeah-yeah.”

Her melody was quiet, hesitant, and shy, but even her notes couldn’t escape everyone’s notice.

“Oh, Butterfly Girl’s got it!”

“No, I just…” she said desperately, reaching for the nearest streetlamp. “Sandalphon doesn’t have to sing if he doesn’t want to, but it seemed fun and… Nevermind. Please, ignore me.”

“Don’t apologize! Ooh, please don’t stop. You have such a pretty voice, Narmaya!” said Lyria, to which Gran emphatically agreed. Narmaya blushed and shook her head before she could catch a glimpse of their faces.

“Not at all,” she murmured as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I just thought that I should cheer for Sandalphon, too. Did I do it right?”

With bated breath and great expectations, everyone looked at Sandalphon, who returned their gaze with a look of confusion. He wasn’t sure why he felt so much pressure all of a sudden, but Narmaya’s attempt at camaraderie wasn’t lost on him.

It felt like the supreme primarch’s job, too. Keeping everyone together.

“Not bad,” he said after a long beat. “But do it louder. Sing it with me and follow my lead.”

Narmaya could not grin any wider.

“Of course!”

Lyria and Vyrn shouted for joy, and Narmaya finally learned how fun it was to sing in chorus.

* * *

“Everyone seems to like you.”

After Gran and company set off for the beach, Sandalphon gave Narmaya one of his candid observations.

“Oh! Um…”

She fumbled as she wrapped her fingers around her katana’s hilt. There was little she could say in reply without assuming too much or appearing so sure.

Eventually, she settled with this: “They seem to be fond of you, too.”

The look in Sandalphon's eyes softened as he gazed toward the horizon and let out something like a laugh. She had never seen a smile so warm before — not on faces that weren’t her father or mother. It then occurred to Narmaya that she had yet to meet someone who would smile at her the same way.

But that was not a thought for now.

“I don’t know why they are,” said Sandalphon. “Even now, I'm still learning.”

“Me too,” Narmaya murmured as she gripped her katana tighter. “Sorry, I believe this is the first time we’ve met. Properly, that is.”

After all, a few passing incidents could barely count as meetings. She was from a long line of masters disciplined in the martial arts. If there were things to be done, they ought to follow a certain order.

“You’re Sandalphon, right?”

“Why are you asking me something you already know? Is this a skydweller custom I’m not aware of?” Sandalphon frowned in confusion. “You said my name earlier, didn’t you?”

“Right,” said Narmaya, desperately trying to calm the sudden spike in her palpitations. “Yes. You’re right, I did say your name before.”

“Sorry. I’m not… There’s no need to be nervous,” said Sandalphon, who looked pained as he stared at the pavement. Quietly, he added, “Though I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me, either.”

Narmaya’s lips parted. _That’s not how I feel at all._

“Still, it’s a pleasure to finally meet the famous Narmaya.”

“Famous?” Narmaya gasped. “Me?”

“Who else?” Amusement passed Sandalphon’s lips as he began to enter the cafe. “The captain told me all about his kind and loving sister.”

“What!” Narmaya did her best not to stumble over herself as she followed closely behind. “I mean, yes! That is me! Not literally, but... Were those his words exactly?”

“Why does it matter? Isn’t that how everyone thinks of you?” Sandalphon asked as he washed his hands and patted them dry with a towel.

“I… I wouldn’t know,” said Narmaya, at a loss for words. “Is that how you think of me?”

“Gran said you were an incredibly reliable woman,” said the angel, immediately turning his attention to the cabinet. “with a talent for baking and the blade. He also said you were perfect for this mission, and that you’re bound to succeed. Wash your hands.”

A non-answer from him, then. But Narmaya couldn’t let that get to her now. She shifted her focus to the captain’s praise. It sounded genuine enough.

“Oh! Gran…” she sighed as she washed her hands under the running water, humming a happy tune all the while. “I didn’t know he thought so highly of his big sister. He couldn’t have said that! Did he really? I can’t believe it. He's just teasing me. Hee hee...”

“Are you fishing for more compliments or do you truly think the captain is a liar?” Sandalphon raised a brow, perplexed by Narmaya’s contradictions.

Narmaya turned the faucet off as she shied away from him. “I don’t think he’d lie…” Then in a smaller voice, she said, “But if he said I wasn’t any of those things, I’d believe that, too.”

Sandalphon hummed in thought.

“You can rest easy, then. I don’t think Gran is the type who would think ill of anybody in the first place. Well, not unless his name starts with a B.”

“Oh, no!” Narmaya cried. “Poor Barawa.”

“I can absolutely see where you’re going with this, but that’s definitely not who I meant.”

“I’m just kidding,” Narmaya chuckled. “You’re right, though, Sandalphon. I should believe in the captain more. And everyone in the crew...”

“Friendships are built on trust, I think.” said Sandalphon. “I’ll make myself worthy of yours, too.”

Before Narmaya could even react, Sandalphon had already moved on to the matter at hand.

“Putting that aside, I trust you’re aware of what this mission entails.”

“Yes,” she nodded. “We’re here to investigate the mysterious disappearances around the island.”

“That’s right,” said Sandalphon, resting a hand on his hip. “We’re only setting up shop and cleaning the place today, so we won’t be opening just yet. But we're not here to simply fool around and make coffee, either. Keep your guard up.”

“Understood! Hehe…” Narmaya bounced on her heels. “I’m your senior in the crew, but you sound much more like a leader than I do — even with your bed hair!”

Sandalphon choked and turned scarlet at the drop of a hat, but he seemed somewhat happy to hear this, so she thought better to let him have it.

“Sorry,” he apologized as he hurriedly combed his hair with his fingers. “I didn’t mean to take over your responsibilities...”

“It’s alright,” Narmaya said with a smile. “It’s usually the other way around for me. I just hope that I can be useful!”

 _Useful_. Sandalphon’s eyes widened. Then, a rueful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He, of all angels, knew what that felt like.

“By the way…” Narmaya continued. “Are you sure it’s just the two of us here?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

As much as Narmaya wanted to say yes, their living arrangements weren’t why she asked.

Narmaya narrowed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, and Sandalphon did the same. He hadn’t really noticed anything. Sharp hearing wasn’t the focus of his design.

He would quickly learn that Narmaya had added it to hers.

“Get behind me!”

As if on cue, a thundering avalanche of boxes came crashing down on the second floor. Quick on her feet, Narmaya launched herself up the stairs and transformed into a butterfly, ready to face the intruder with her blade.

In the sudden commotion, Sandalphon could only hurry and follow.

When Sandalphon reached for the doorknob, Narmaya had already slipped through the hole in the door. There she stood in the center of the room, Draph once more, sparkling light like fairy dust settling around her as she gripped her katana and scanned her surroundings.

The second floor had two rooms. The first was a small bathroom for personal use. The second was a bedroom for two. Narmaya had entered the latter. On one side was a bed, large and soft and made as if it was barely lived in. On the other was a study, with a desk and shelves filled with encyclopedias, periodicals, and classical novels — books that now littered the stone floor. What was most interesting were the walls; there was not an empty space on them as photographs covered every nook and cranny.

But Sandalphon had barely even stepped inside when Narmaya gave him a stern warning.

“Don’t move,” she said, all the gentleness gone from her tone.

The angel watched her back as she stood there, unwavering. “Are we in danger?”

Narmaya hesitated.

“No, it’s safe.” She turned to face him with an apologetic frown. “But I can’t let you enter.”

“Why? That doesn't make sense. If the threat is gone, we should be able to—”

“Sandalphon,” she said, never raising her voice. “Please leave this room to me. I’ll be with you after I’m done, okay?  Right now, I’d like to be alone.”

It was only after she heard Sandalphon return to the cafe that she spoke once again.

“You can come out now.”


	3. Coffee and Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're slowly moving along, but i had fun with this one.

This wasn’t the first time Sandalphon had spoken to Narmaya.

That incident happened some time ago, a few days after he’d joined Gran and his ragtag crew. Sandalphon, with Lucifer’s will still on his mind, had cooped himself up in his own corner of the ship. When he wasn’t carrying out missions, exchanging information with the archangels, or brewing the occasional cup of coffee, his dimly-lit room on the Grandcypher was where he spent most of his free time.

And the crew knew this. Many were curious about this new addition to their ranks, and they were eager to ask around about their fellow crewmate. Lowain wanted to know what Sandalphon liked to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all the meals in between. (“Even archangels gotta have a craving for those midnight munchies,” Sandalphon heard him say, to which the men Sandalphon understood to be his brothers replied, “Dude, do angels even eat? Like, if they don’t have the parts for it, where does it all go?” “You’re thinking about totally different body parts, bro.” Nonsense, really.) Seofon, who didn’t so much go here as he did loiter around the premises, wanted to take a closer look at Sandalphon’s sword. Altair wanted his autograph.

But Sandalphon wanted nothing to do with them. Associating with mortals was a waste of his time. Protecting the skies Lucifer loved was all that mattered. Those who dwelled in it simply happened to be there. He thought Narmaya to be one such skydweller.

The sunset from his window painted his room in its colors as another uneventful day drew to a close, and there lied Sandalphon on his bed when suddenly, he heard a knock.

“Hello, Sandalphon!” a cheery, feminine voice filtered through the door. “Your name is Sandalphon, right?”

Sandalphon dragged a hand down his face. Maybe if he kept quiet, she would go away. That always did the trick.

But the woman prattled on.

“My name is Narmaya. Gran said one of his friends joined the crew the other day. That's you, yes? I want to give you a big welcome to the Grandcypher! I’m not very talented in a lot of things, but I wanted to give you something so I thought about it long and hard, and… I made you a cake!”

He muttered under his breath. Food _again_.

“I did my best to make it to your liking! It's funny, because it's a devil's food cake in the shape of an angel wing… Oh, but it’s not devilish at all! It’s just in the name. Hee hee. There's a secret to this devil's food cake that I think you'd love to know!”

At that point, he truly didn’t. A devil’s cake in the shape of an angel; was she trying to tell him something?

“Sara and Yaia and Vania and — oh, even Malinda says she likes it very much.” Sandalphon also recalled Narmaya leaning in to tell him something meaningless like, “Don’t tell Ayer I told you, but I think he likes it, too.”

He could care less about that. What did it matter if Malinda liked it? Who was Malinda, anyway?

“So...!” Narmaya tried. “So if you would open the door, I could drop it off and be on my way...”

No. Never. Persistent, irritating skydweller.

“That's strange. Gran said he was here, but he's not answering. Did I scare him away?”

Sandalphon groaned, rolled onto his stomach, and covered his head with a pillow.

“You’re probably busy right now! Silly me. I’ll leave the cake right here, then. It’s important to take breaks once in a while so you should have a bite when you're done!”

As she stepped away from the door, he heard a faint, “Oh, but I can't just leave a cake lying around…” followed by, and this was the important part: “It tastes great with coffee, too. ...I think I messed up again...”

He didn’t need it. He didn’t deserve it. He was only here for one purpose. Until he can atone for his sins and fulfill his revenge, he can't be distracted.

But he was curious.

Later that night, admittedly, in retrospect, craving one of those so-called midnight munchies, Sandalphon slipped out of his room.

Even as he looked back on it now, he still couldn’t believe what he saw.

There was Narmaya, leaning against the wall next to his door as she slept soundly in the corridor. Beside her was, as she had described, a chocolate cake in the shape of an angel wing.

It was cold outside. It had been hours. Why she would wait for a man who couldn’t even deign her with respect was beyond him. Now she had the gall to burden him with the task of bringing her back to room.

But as Sandalphon crouched to pick Narmaya up, the light from his lantern shone on her face, and she was not at all what he imagined. He expected someone taller, older. Not this innocent face, this blatant vulnerability. Even as she kept her sword at her side, it seemed to him that using it now was the last thing on her mind.

He snorted. They’ll eat her alive.

“Persistent, irritating skydweller.”

He couldn’t let that happen.

* * *

  
  
  


Sandalphon busied himself with cleaning the cafe and washing the tableware, but his thoughts kept going back to Narmaya, the room, and the way she looked at him before sending him back here.

It bothered him that she treated him like a stranger. What did meeting someone properly even mean? Was that why she refused his help? She had many reasons to refuse him, he thought. The cataclysms were not so long ago, and the people he had hurt were people dear to her. He can't expect anyone to change for him.

But she was so kind back then. If he had done anything to offend her, she didn’t seem to care.

It bothered him that she had a change of heart, but what bothered him the most was how bothered he was about it.

Before he could dwell on Narmaya any longer, the door chimes alerted him to his first visitors. His response was automatic: “Sorry, we’re not open yet—”

“Archangel Parcel Service… at your service!” said the dark-haired angel.

“We really need to fix that tagline, huh, Mal?” said her fair-haired sister.

“I guess we do, Hal.”

“Let’s think of something while we’re here. Long time no see, Sandalphon!”

They were Halluel and Malluel, the archangels of instruction. Ever since Lucilius's disappearance, they've been soaring across the skies, offering their delivery services to primarchs and skydwellers alike.

“You two… It’s been a while.” Sandalphon didn’t want to admit it outright, but seeing familiar faces brought him a little comfort. “What are you doing here? I don't remember ordering anything. Of course, I just got here…”

“The owner ordered gelatin in bulk, so I guess we’ll just have to leave it with you,” said Halluel.

Sandalphon narrowed his eyes at the package apprehensively. “Why gelatin? What for?”

“You tell us!” said Malluel. “We're just the messengers.”

“You're taking over this shop for a while, right? It’s a cute spot!” said Halluel as she took a look around the cafe, intrigued by the ocean view at the back.

“Have you finally settled down?” asked Malluel, who began playing with a sugar pot. “Hesperides _is_ lovely during the summer.”

“No," Sandalphon replied as he closed the sugar pot shut. “Narmaya and I are handling the disappearance cases here.”

“I see, I see." Halluel momentarily tore her eyes away from the view. “A shame, what happened to the owner…"

"Do you know anything about him?” asked Sandalphon, his interest piqued. “You must have spoken to him once or twice.”

“Him?” Halluel repeated. “Oh, you must be talking about her husband.”

“Our contact person was a woman,” Malluel explained. “Up until recently, she was the one who ran this cafe!”

“My apologies, I just assumed...”

“It's okay, Sandy.” Malluel giggled. “We know you were just imagining yourself in his shoes!”

Sandalphon nearly choked. “Excuse me?”

"Yep! Running a seaside cafe with your cute wife sounds like a good retirement plan!" Halluel said, brimming with enthusiasm. "But just when we thought you’d gotten yourself a spouse and three children those skydwellers always dream of, you’re out here doing your job as usual.”

“Naturally.” Sandalphon cleared his throat and collected himself, even managing to give them a smirk. “I still have much to do.”

“Does it have to be three kids, though, Hal? Can our Sandy really handle having that many?”

“There's a saying in these skies, Mal. Hmm, what was it again… It's always the quiet ones?”

“Can everyone _please_ stop talking?” Sandalphon said through his teeth.

“Hahahaha! We might get demoted at this rate, Mal. Let’s behave.”

“Sorry, sorry. It's just that when I imagine Sandy taking someone in his arms like in that Harvin woman's picture books, my heart starts to beat like crazy!”

Picture books, Sandalphon mouthed. Another dangerous skydweller invention.

"We're getting off-topic. Do you have any information about the couple?"

“Nothing you don't already know." Halluel frowned. "The owner disappeared first, and the husband shortly followed. We only arrived to deliver this package, and we’ll be leaving as soon as we do…”

Sandalphon frowned. “That’s what I thought.”

“Take care, okay?” said Malluel, pouting. “Az and Iss are doing so well! We'll bring them here next time when we get the chance. After the situation here blows over, of course.”

“Then I'll do my best to deal with it swiftly,” Sandalphon said with a confident smile. “Thank you, Halluel, Malluel. I just have to sign here, right?”

“Yep! Now, since it's your first commercial delivery, it's time for our special free service,” declared Halluel, her grin undoubtedly full of mischief as she circled the supreme primarch.

Sandalphon squinted. "I think I want no part in that."

“Aww!” said Malluel, who flanked Sandalphon with her sister. “We just wanted to give our boss Sandy kisses on the house.”

Sandalphon leaned back. “I am _sure_ I want no part in that.”

“Ever allergic to affection, aren't you? Hahaha! Then our work here is done.”

“Thank you for choosing Archangel Parcel Services! Bye-bye!”

As the twin angels flew off, Sandalphon celebrated his lipstick-free cheeks and wondered what to do with his sudden surplus of gelatin.

* * *

  
  
  


The sun was at its highest over Hesperides when Narmaya joined Sandalphon on the first floor, acting as if nothing had happened.

“Sandalphon! Oh, my. You're still working?”

“You did leave me here all morning,” said Sandalphon, who only spared her a glance as he wiped the tables. He wasn't angry. He was simply almost certain that whatever she wanted to do upstairs, she didn’t want him to have any part in it.

“I'm sorry.” Narmaya, on the other hand, was positive she had upset him, so she tried to make the best of it. “I cleaned the upstairs room! For later. I found a lot of recipes I'm sure you'd love to see!”

“Really? That's good.” Later? His answer is more restrained than he’d like it to be. “Show me after this.”

“Of course! Um… Did you want to sleep on the bed?” she offered. “There's only one.”

Sandalphon's hand slipped across the table.

“I beg your pardon?”

“There's only one bed,” she repeated as she fiddled with her thumbs. “I know that's a problem for us, but I wouldn't mind if you—”

“You can have it.”

“Oh!” Narmaya covered her mouth in surprise. “Is… is that okay?”

“Yeah. I can sleep downstairs if necessary.”

“But you’ll get cold...”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

It was better to quell her worries as soon as he could. The longer he can keep his distance, the better. This was a good thing, so he couldn’t understand why Narmaya was frowning. 

Sandalphon then recalled an earlier conversation. Since she was here, he might as well ask.

“Narmaya, how do you feel about children?”

Narmaya felt the hairs on her neck stand on end and her cheeks burn like the sun.

“Um… how? Well, that's… I wouldn't mind if we had one.”

“What.”

“I mean!” Narmaya gestured vaguely as she tried to keep it together. “If a child were to stay with us now, hypothetically, I wouldn't mind keeping him. For the time being.”

“Why would a child stay with us at the cafe?” Sandalphon asked, nonplussed. “Are you thinking of adopting now?”

"Yes!" A beat. “I mean, no. It's something I've considered! I love children, personally, but to do it now would be absurd.”

“I see.” Sandalphon knitted his brows in thought. “The dreams of skydwellers seem to share a lot in common…”

Narmaya couldn’t help the smile that made its way across her face.

“You're always thinking about them, aren't you? These skies, its people…”

“It’s what he— No,” Sandalphon corrected himself. “Protecting the skies is what I want to do. Of course I’ll always think about it.”

“Is that why you wanted to work on this case?” asked Narmaya. “It’s not as big as anything you’ve faced before, though.” She bit her lip. “If… if it’s a bother, I can take care of it—”

“Don’t be stupid,” he snapped. “What if something happened to you?”

For a moment, Narmaya trembled in place.

“I’ve just been getting the feeling...” Narmaya said softly. “that you didn’t want to be here, and I don’t know why. Is it me? If there’s anything wrong, please tell me. I’ll do my best to fix it.”

It was then that Sandalphon realized he made an error of judgement. Persistent, irritating—

“There’s nothing wrong. I want to do this,” said Sandalphon, looking away. “I was just worried you didn’t like me.”

For all the trouble she had put him through, Narmaya… chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Sandalphon asked.

“Sorry, it’s just that… _I_ was worried you didn’t like _me_.”

“So we were worried about liking each other.” Sandalphon snorted in amusement. “What nonsense.”

Narmaya’s chuckle grew into mirthful laughter. “Nonsense indeed! Of course I like you!”

“What?”

“Oh no! Is that the time?” Narmaya exclaimed as she looked at the clock. “Gran and the others will be here soon, and I still haven’t made them their snacks!”

“It’s only noon,” Sandalphon pointed out, wondering how they had changed topics so quickly. Maybe it didn’t matter. After clearing out the air, he could finally approach Narmaya without a heavy heart.

“Let’s eat lunch first. Besides, I already have something in mind.”

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“It’s soooo yummy!”

Lyria could not contain her joy.

After a long day of playing along the island’s shores, Gran and his friends stopped by the cafe — which was only one welcome sign away from its opening day — for the freebies Sandalphon promised them this morning. Needless to say, Sandalphon did not disappoint.

“Lyria, you have some mousse on your cheek,” said Narmaya with a napkin already in hand. “Let me get that for you.”

“Narmaya’s chocolate mousse cake goes really well with Sandalphon’s coffee,” said Gran, who had mousse on both his cheeks.

“The perfect cake with the perfect coffee…” Vyrn let his mousse-covered claws hang as he floated across the cafe in coffee-induced delight. “You two are like a match made in dessert heaven!”

“Oh, you!” Narmaya gently pulled Vyrn close to clean him up. “It was all Sandalphon’s idea. He told me to make the cake.”

“There was a cake I ate a while back. It paired well with the sort of coffee I liked,” Sandalphon explained, silently pointing out the mousse on Gran’s face. Gran quickly cleaned up before Narmaya went for him next.

“This time,” Sandalphon continued. “I tried to match my brew and make it complement this cake’s sweetness.”

“Sandalphon changing his recipe? That’s a first!” said Vyrn.

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to change the cake?” asked Lyria.

“Yeah,” said Sandalphon, closing his eyes as he nodded. “But I liked the cake.”

Unknown to Sandalphon, Narmaya ducked her head behind Vyrn to hide the growing blush on her cheeks.

“Woah, Butterfly Girl! Do you have a fever or something?”

Gran, ever sensitive to his surroundings, tried to bring Narmaya back to reality.

“Narmaya’s cakes are the best!” he said. “I know he’s shy about it, but I bet Ayer would like this cake a lot!”

That was when a familiar figure came tumbling down the stairs and landed on the floor with a thud.

Narmaya's eyes widened.

“Don’t...” the hooded boy strained as he winced in pain. “tell Jessica.”


End file.
